Art. Gallery watch.

Old Master Mastery

January 10, 1997|By Barbara B. Buchholz.

For a crash course in Old Master prints and drawings by such artists as Andrea Mantegna, Theodore Rousseau, Albrecht Durer and Rembrandt Van Rijn, don't miss the show "Old Master Prints and Drawings 1450-1850," which runs through January at R.S. Johnson Fine Art, 645 N. Michigan Ave. Try to steal some time with Mr. Johnson for an explanation of how to detect when a print was printed, particularly the many Durers exhibited. Some clues: the brilliance of the printing, the weight of the paper, which watermark was used.

Steven Halvorsen: This show reveals how Halvorsen, an Art Institute of Chicago employee, is able to keep changing both the content of his paintings and his palette. In "August 13, 1940," he includes some of his finely detailed human figures but has placed them in a more imaginary setting, with sailing ships from another era. The purple-blue-pink hues may have been inspired by the recent Monet show at the Art Institute. "Man and Cherub," with a fairly realistic man and a delightful cherub overhead, may have come from his wanderings through the European Decorative Arts department.

But his best works are still those like "Study for the Lawn Mower" and "The Vineyard," which take ordinary activities and depict them with sensitivity while bringing the landscapes and cityscapes to life through crisp colors and tactile surfaces. At the Byron Roche Gallery, 1446 N. Wells St, through Jan. 19.